Tuesday 21st April 2015
Release: Immediate
The people and government of Ethiopia are greatly saddened by the barbarous killing of innocent Ethiopian Christians in Libya.

The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia strongly condemns the killings, even more so when they were supposedly committed in the name of religion.

Atrocities of this kind have nothing to do with religion: they merely illustrate the psychotic nature of terrorism and violent extremism. There is no excuse for such deliberate crimes against humanity.

Ethiopia has been in the frontline in the fight against terrorism for a number of years now. Its determination to prevent terrorism taking root in Ethiopia and the region underlines why it has taken an active role in responding to the terrorist activities of Al-Shabaab in neighboring Somalia, elsewhere in the sub-region and internationally. Ethiopia will remain vigilant to ward off terrorism and extremism.

The Government is ready to repatriate any and all Ethiopians in Libya. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on all Ethiopians residing in Libya to contact the nearest Ethiopian Embassies in Cairo and Khartoum for assistance. The Government is also contacting other stakeholders to help Ethiopian citizens leave Libya. The Ministry welcomes the strong condemnation of the killings by the AU, USA, EU, Canada and the international community at large.

Both the Ethiopian Muslim Affairs Supreme Council (EMASC) and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) have condemned Islamic State’s barbaric acts.

The EMASC strongly condemned the slayings as “genocidal acts”. EMASC President Hajji Mohammed Aman Jemal said “the slaying committed by the terrorists is a shocking deed which stands contrary to the Holy Quran. Human beings are sacred,” so says the Holy Quran. “This shows the respect it has for mankind, oblivious of their colour, ethnic origin and religion.”

He added that the Prophet Mohammed explicitly ordered Muslims not to harm Ethiopia. The act perpetrated by extremists is therefore an atrocity that blatantly disrespects Islam and the Holy Quran.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church condemned the killings. The patriarch, His Holiness Abune Mathias, said the victims are Ethiopians and followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The act does not represent any religious institution and faith, but is an act committed by terrorists that should be condemned, he said.

The patriarch added that the EOC supports the efforts of the government to safely bring back citizens. He advised citizens to focus on earning their livelihood in their own country “instead of going to countries that do not guarantee their safety, religion and property”. He affirmed that the church will extend support to those who come back from Libya.

Now it is confirmed that Ethiopian citizens were among the victims, while condemning this heinous act, the Ethiopian Government will continue its investigations.

In respect for the victims, Ethiopia has declared a 3-day period of mourning, beginning today.
—-ENDS—-

Livestock potential

Ethiopia is home to the largest population of cattle in Africa and the 10th largest in the world. The number of livestock doubled between 1995 and 2010 from 58 million to more than 100 million. Today, it comprises approximately 54 million cattle, 25.5 million sheep, 24 million goats, seven million donkeys, two million horses and one million camels. The livestock sector contributes for about 16.5% of the GDP, and is an important factor of livelihood and revenue for the rural populations. In fact, between 11 and 13 million households are engaged in livestock keeping, which also include beekeeping (Ethiopia is the leading honey producer in Africa).

To address challenges such as availability of feed and commercial channels and to further improve the productivity and quality of the livestock sector, a national Livestock Master Plan is prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and implemented by the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA).

Leather industry

Being the first livestock producer in Africa, Ethiopia has a huge potential for the leather industry. While leather exports stood at USD 123 million in 2012, the government wants to grow the leather industry’s annual exports to USD 500 million by the end of 2015.

Every year, the country produces about 2.7 million hides, 8.1 sheepskins and 7.5 million goat skins. Moreover, with a population of 26 million, Ethiopia has the largest flock of hair sheep in the world. Hair sheep skin has a particularly fin and tight grain, making it highly valuable for female gloves of higher quality and luxury items.

Ethiopia’s leather and leather product sector already produce a range of products from semi-processed leather in various forms to processed leathers including shoe uppers, leather garments, stitched upholstery, backpacks, purses, industrial gloves and finished leather. The government plans to fully utilise these resources through value addition and thereby create more jobs and boost exports. Ethiopian leather products are exported to markets in Europe (especially Italy and the UK), America, Canada, China, Japan and other Far Eastern countries and the Middle East. All exports are tested by the Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia (QSAE).

A good Opportunity for investors

There is a conducive and enabling atmosphere in Ethiopia in terms of both the political and economic situations. As one of the government’s priority sectors, investors in leather enjoy incentives including duty exemptions on capital goods and construction materials, and five-plus years of an income tax holiday. Other positives aspects of operating in Ethiopia are free access to US and EU markets as well as cheap electricity. Moreover, with a wage of about USD 40, the cost of labour in Ethiopia is about ten times less than in countries such as China.

Official statistics from the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority show that of the total leather products export, still about 73 percent is earned from finished leather, which has the potential to be converted into other value added products such as shoes, bags, gloves or garment. In recent years however, the country’s leather industry has attracted several foreign companies that have set up factories to create value added products. For instance, the Chinese footwear manufacturer Huajian Group opened a factory in 2012 at the industrial zone outside Addis Ababa where it manufactures 6,000 pairs of shoes and boots per day. The company moreover secured 138 hectares of land to establish its own industrial zone at a cost of about USD 2.2 billion. Other companies such as the UK firm Pittards have also installed factories to produce high quality leather items for export.

In this way, the local industry has already created jobs for millions of Ethiopians and increased export earnings of leather products including gloves and garments. In 2013 for example, earnings stood at $132 million from $76 million in 2008. Out of this figure, around $30 million came from shoe exports. While Ethiopia has long exported its leather to Europe and Asia where it was transformed into fashionable items, recent investments in Ethiopia-based factories by foreign companies are helping change this, and create jobs for millions of Ethiopians. This, in return, is expected to boost the local consumption of Ethiopian leather products, which will be even more profitable to the industry.

Report produced by the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels

Addis Ababa, April 13, 2015 (WIC) Ethiopian Airlines among the top 10 most dependable airlines in the world.

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest and most profitable airline has been ranked as the 6th most dependable airline in the world according to CBS news. With a fleet size of 76 aircraft and more than 100 destinations, 81 of them internationally.

Ethiopia’s flag carrier has an on-time record of 71% and is ranked as the 6th most dependable airlines in the world.

Ethiopian flies to more destinations in Africa than any other airline in the world and it is Africa’s dominant airline in Asia, flying to 21 cities in Asia including the Middle East and Gulf.

The most dependable airline in the ranking is Qatar Airways followed by Emirates and China Eastern. Singapore Airlines is ranked 4th and China Southern Airlines 5th. You can see the complete list on CBS news.

Ethiopian Airlines

Fleet size: 76

Number of destinations: 101+

On-time percentage: 71%

Average age of fleet: 7 years

Africa’s largest and most profitable airline has been in rapid expansion mode to capture the hot Africa-Asia market.

Ethiopia is building a massive airport to house the airline’s home base. The country is looking to shed its image of famine and poverty, and showcase its booming economy. (CBS news)

Thanks to its rich and varied topography and climate, Ethiopia is the home of a great number of wild animals and plants typical of different altitudes and climates.

Located within the tropics, the physical conditions and variations in altitude have resulted in great range of terrain, climate, soil, flora and fauna. Much of Ethiopia’s highland area lies above 2,000 meters and there are 20 peaks above 4,000 meters. At 4,620 meters, Ras Dashed, is one of the highest mountains in Africa. One of the lowest places on earth can also be found in Ethiopia, in the Danakil Depression, which lays 116 meters under sea level, comprising the Erta Ale active lava lake.

Along with this rich topography, five main climatic zones are influencing the diversity of the wildlife: the hot, arid zone covers the desert lowlands below 500 meters (average temperature above 28° C); the warm to hot, semi-arid zone including areas with an altitude of 500–1,500 meters; the warm to cool, semi- humid zone covering the temperate highlands between 1,500 and 2,500 meters; the cool to cold humid zone including the temperate highlands between 2,500 and 3,200 meters and the cold, moist temperate zone covering the Afro- alpine areas on the highest plateaus above 3,200 meters (average temperature below 10° C). Ethiopia is a country of 13 months of sunshine, and its main rainy season happens in June-July-August.

Ethiopia’s biodiversity is unique even when compared to its neighbors. There are over 6,000 species of plants, 277 species of mammals, out of which 35 endemic species, and more than 800 species of birds.

Though their population has decreased in the past decades, Ethiopia still has populations of African elephants, the world’s largest living land mammal. With its high level of intelligence, interesting methods of communication and complex social structure, it remains one of the most impressive animals on earth. Both male and female African elephants have tusks, contrary to the Asiatic specie where only male have them.

Some of the most impressing animals found in Ethiopia also include the Abyssinian lion. The Lion is the principal terrestrial predator in Africa and therefore a key species of the savannah ecosystem. The Abyssinian Lion found in Ethiopia has a large, dark mane, extending from the head, neck and chest to the belly. He is also smaller and more compact than other lions. Recently, it was established by scientists that these lions represent a genetically distinct population of the common African lion. An Abyssinian Lion breeding park is located in the National Palace and Park in Addis Ababa. The animal was a symbol for the patriotic Ethiopian independence (Black Lion Movement).

Besides of the Elephants and Abyssinian lions, there are a number of charismatic and endemic “flagship” species in Ethiopia, most notably the Gelada Baboon (an endemic genus and the world’s only grazing primate), which can be found in the Simien Mountains. His friendly attitude towards tourists make him easy to observe. The Mountain Nyala (Simien Mountains), the extremely rare Ethiopian Wolf (Red Fox), the Walia Ibex (endemic to Simien Mountains), the Swayne’s Hartebeest, the African Wild Ass and the Dibatag (an antelope of the desert areas of Ogaden) are also present in different parts of Ethiopia. Zebra can be found in the the southern part of the country. Some reptiles are found only in Ethiopia, including the Bale Mountains Heather Chameleon, the Bale Mountains Two- horned Chameleon and the Ethiopian Mountain Chameleon.

Ethiopia is particularly well-known for its wonderful and unique birdlife, which is appreciated by bird-lovers. Birds are numerous, diverse, very colorful and easy to observe. About sixteen out of the 862 species recorded in the country are found no where else on earth but in Ethiopia. Of the ten bird family’s endemic to the African mainland, eight of them are found in Ethiopia. Among the endemic birds, the Thick-billed Raven, Wattled Ibis, Black-winged Lovebird and White-collared Pigeon are notably common over extensive areas of the plateau. As they are big, readily identifiable and not timid, they are easy to see and observe frequently at a close range. Even in the highland forests, which support comparatively few endemic species of birds, the endemics are ubiquitous.

Though Ethiopia’s wildlife is little known to town dwellers and the expatriate community of the country, there are more than 30 National Parks, Wildlife Reserves, and Sanctuaries, which cover an impressive 14% of the country’s surface, along with numerous lodges and touristic infrastructure. These many protected areas enable the visitor to enjoy the country’s scenery and its wildlife, conserved in natural habitats, and offer opportunities for travel adventure unparalleled in Africa. In short, travelers looking to discover new landscapes, animals and plant species should not hesitate: Ethiopia’s wildlife has much to offer.

Addis Ababa, 8 April 2015 (WIC) – Financing Agreements for the Development of Geothermal Energy in Tendhao area (Afar) were signed on April 7, 2015 between the Ethiopian Government and French Agency for Development (AFD) and European commission at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.

As per the agreements, the total financing amounting to 16.5 million euros has been jointly provided by the French Agency for Development, through a euro 9 million soft loan, and by the European commission, through a euro 7.5 million grant of the EU Trust fund for infrastructure in Africa.

The project aims at identifying a low-carbon geothermal resources and contributing to the development of this energy sub-sector in the country where there is huge potential.
The funding will also be dedicated to the development of shallow reservoir, equipment purchase and to strengthen the capacities of Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP) and the Geological Survey of Ethiopia (GSE).

Ahimed Shide, State Minister of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Ethiopia and, Christian Yoka, the French Agency for Development Regional Manager in Addis Ababa signed the agreements in the presence of State Minster for Development of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Girardin and witnessed by Brigitte Collet, Ambassador of France to Ethiopia and the African Union, Chantal Hebberecht, Ambassador of the European Union to Ethiopia. (FBC)

Addis Ababa, 6 April 2015 (WIC) – The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development stated that the UK will continue its support to Ethiopia without changing its aid mechanism, as per the economic growth Ethiopia is displaying currently.

According to the Ethiopian Herald, the Ministry also noted that the main aim of the government of Ethiopia is to work with the people to break free from aid and loan and create confidence.

Haji Ibsa, Public Relation Director of the Ministry said the relation between the two countries goes a long way back and noted that the UK aid used to be incorporated in the country’s budget, and then trickled down to each State except for Addis Ababa. And this mechanism of doing things has made way to a new approach in which it specifically supports Ethiopia in sectors and aspects that would hasten its development. “And this shows that only the aid system has changed, and not that the aid is stopped all together,” he added.

Citing the growth Ethiopia is making, the Director said that England only changed its aid mechanism and in fact both countries are currently discussing ways to further strengthen their relation, and the aid might show an increase from its previous magnitude.” What Britain is saying is that Ethiopia will enter middle income country status in the coming years, and will be among the top ten countries that are recording rapid development,” said Haji. He went to say that the fact that Ethiopia entered the international capital market is an indication of the huge strides the country is making.

Out of its position to muster its capabilities to raise the coverage of the annual budget from domestic sources, which is currently working to raise it to 82 per cent from 70 per cent from the time of the first phase of the Growth and Transformation Plan, the Director highlighted that the Ethiopian government is working hard to achieve that as it can be seen from the many positive changes and improvements.

And if the need for loan arises, Hagi said that there’s no reason that would stop Ethiopia from taking loans it needs for its projects, just like any other country would.

Addis Ababa, 02 April 2015 (WIC) – European Union has decided to increase its assistance to Ethiopia considering the proper utilization of funds, EU Delegation to Ethiopia said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Head of the Delegation Ambassador Chantal Hebberecht said the country has been spending the finance secured from the EU for the intended purposes.

She said the EU has been monitoring the utilization of funds by Ethiopia and proved that the funds have been spent for the intended purposes.

EU has been supporting projects in natural conservation, agriculture, education and health has been spent properly.

In addition to the proper utilization of funds, the nation’s effort to alleviate poverty is another reason for EU to increase its support.

The EU and the 20 member states present in Addis Ababa are one of the biggest donors in this country, she said. “The total of the financial allocation to support the development of this country is more or less one billion dollars per year”, represents 40 percent of the public development aid in Ethiopia.

“We have ongoing projects for a total of 400 million Euros and we have in preparation a new financial allocation with 800 million Euros for the next five years, because we are starting a new cycle cooperation with this country under the 11th EDF” she added.

She noted that Ethiopia has been undertaking successful activities regarding poverty alleviation, reducing child and maternal deaths; realize universal access to primary education, and control malaria, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Allocating 70 percent of its budget to education, infrastructure, health institutions and poverty alleviation projects, helped Ethiopia achieve the MDGs, she added.

Germany, France, UK and Italy are among the leading countries in extending development assistance to Ethiopia.

According to ENA, in a news item dispatched on 16 February under the headline “EU increases assistance to Ethiopia to 1 bln Euros”, it was erroneously reported the amount of assistance EU plans to extend to Ethiopia as one billion Euros per annum.

In fact, the figure should read as 800 million Euros over the next five years.

Addis Ababa March 31/2015 Ethiopia will continue championing the regional integration of COMESA, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn said.

At the closing session of the 18th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit today, the PM said the government of Ethiopia is working with commitment to enhance regional integration.

Hailemariam also urged member countries to pursue the path leading to regional integration with commitment.

“I believe that we have achieved collective understanding about how to enhance value addition and diversification through strategies and instruments for integrating our economies in increasing our access to the global value changes,” the prime minister stressed.

Furthermore, he said the existing facilities in the countries are key cornerstones to financially and technically support them to undertake the structure and institutional changes that are necessary for robust regional integration.

He thanked the European Union for its support. COMESA will receive 170 million Euros by the end of 2017.

Madagascar will host the 19th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit, it was learned.

– See more at: http://www.ena.gov.et/en/index.php/economy/item/607-ethiopia-to-continue-championing-regional-integration-of-comesa#sthash.xay9Lc0C.dpuf

Thanks to its diversified landscape, agro-ecology, and fertile soils with vast arable land (74.3 million hectares), the Ethiopian agricultural sector has much to offer: from coffee to livestock passing through oilseeds and flowers. In order to take full advantage of this diversity, important steps were made by the Ethiopian Government in the last two decades to accelerate growth and transformation in this sector, which remains a predominant in the Ethiopian economy. In fact, it is accounting for nearly 42.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP), about 90% of foreign currency earnings and 82% of employment. The transformation of the agriculture of other sectors of the economy. Recognizing that large capital investments are needed to exploit Ethiopia’s resources, incentives are being provided to encourage foreign investment (including joint ventures and marketing arrangements).

To accelerate the pace of the programme, the Agriculture Transformation Agency (ATA) was launched in 2011 with the aim of disseminating sector is therefore central to drive the economy transition to a manufacturing based economy and to reach middle-income country status by 2025.

Launched two decades ago, the Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) strategy put agriculture at the forefront of Ethiopia’s development process and provided an overarching plan for economic development on the basis of agricultural transformation. The goal is to increase productivity leading to higher employment, incomes, and investable surplus for the development improved planting, fertilizing and harvesting techniques and ensure that these new practices are adopted by smallholder farmers. The ATA is scaling up these best practices through a network of agriculture extension workers and innovative ways of communication, such as an interactive voice response and SMS system providing smallholder farmers free with information on cereal, horticulture, and pulse/oil seed crops, as well as a wide range of agriculture-related activities and innovations. Ethiopia is the origin and largest producer of coffee in Africa and the fifth worldwide, with a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest organic coffees. The soil of the forest floor is enriched from falling leaves, making fertilizers unnecessary. Most regions of Ethiopia are furthermore suitable for the production of a wide range of tropical and sub- tropical fruits, vegetables and flowers, thanks to the country’s favorable climate, abundant labor, fertile land and water resources. Cut flower and vegetable production are fast growing export businesses, and Ethiopia is a center of diversity for a variety of flowering plants. While the contribution of the livestock industry to the country’s total exports is currently low compared to its potential, this sector also holds great promise as a source of export diversification for the future. The export of finished leather and leather products (such as leather garments, footwear, gloves, bags and other leather articles) has been increasing over the last years.

Moreover, some other parts of the sector represent substantial opportunities for new investment: plantation crops (such as tea and tobacco); production and processing of oil crops and cotton; fish farming; forestry and forest by-products. Ethiopia is also the home of the gluten-free cereal teff, which has been the main ingredient of Ethiopian food for thousands of years. Thanks to its rich nutritious characteristics, there is a global growing demand for teff.

Finally, Ethiopia has tremendous and potential for investment in agro-processing. While the government encourages the export of unprocessed agricultural products, it has placed incentives for investment and export of processed products, which involve and stimulate the growth of the agro- processing sector. Through the development of agro-processing, Ethiopia’s agricultural sector can achieve swift and sustained long-term economic development.

Report written by the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels